Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-11-20
A DETROIT MYSTERY.

Murder and suicide-A Tale of Blood.
DETROIT, MICH, November l6.-The
supposed suicide of Captain A. H. Mills, a
well-known vesselman, last night, preced-
ed by his alleged murder Of Mrs. Austin
Rising, wife of the manager Of the Captains
tug line, has more to it apparently than
was at first supposed.
Rising, the husband of the dead woman,
is under arrest. and it is by no means a
certainty that Captain Mills was not muir
dered and that he is besides innocent Of the
death of Mrs. Rising.
Captain Mills was formerly the owner OF
the largest tug line in this city, but a short
time ago his son obtained possession of a
portion of his vessels and started an oppo-
sition line. In a short time Mrs. Mills died
and the captain was appointed executor OF
her estate. He lived in good style, and
his three daughters thought, e~xtravagantly,
and a short time ago they petitioned the
court to remove him from his position.
The court granted the petition and c. j.
Berry, o lawyer, was appointed in his place.
Yesterday Berry made affidavit that Capt.
Mills was holding back some of the prop
erty. Last evening Berry called on Mills
and was leaving the house after a stormy
interview, when a pistol shot was heard.
1t is claimed that Mills committed suicide,
but as the bullet wound is on the left side
of his head, back of the ear, suspicious of
foul play were aroused. A new complied
ton is added to the suicide when later in
in the night the body of Mrs. Austin Ris.
ing, wife of the manager of Captain Mills
tug line, was found in her bed room on
East Congress street, but a few blocks from
the Mills residence.
1t has long been a matter of rumor that
Captain Mills was unduly familiar with his
managers wife. During the afternoon he
~telephoned to Mr.. Rising that he wanted
to see him about the tugs and would meet
him on the dock at 7 o'clock. Immediate
ly atterward the Captain went TO Mrs.
Risiug's residence. Shortly after he was
seen to rush ont of the Rising residence
and hasten home. About $50 o'clock,
Mr.. Rising went home with q male COM
panion and the two drank very freely of
whisky. Policeman Mulholland, hearing
the noise, looked through the blinds and
saw Rising, after drinking, pick up a
lamp and 90 into his wiie's bed room. He
came out Immediately, aud the two men,
after taking another drink, went to Cap.
tain Mills residence.
Rising returned home alone about 1880
and on going into his wife's room for the
first time, found her dead body. She lay
on the bed, with her head riddled with
bullets, and her blood and brains scattered
over the floor and walls. He rushed out
and shouted for help. Officer Mulholland
came up and arrested Rising on suspicion
of having killed his wife. The body was
already cold, showing that she had been
dead some hours. The mystery is deepen
ed by the testimony of Captain Stone, OF
the steam yacht Leila, that Mills had a
quarrel With Mrs. Rising over some APP
pointment which he said she had made
with another man.
Two letters, showing Conclusively that
Captain Mills murdered the wife of his
manager and then committed suicide, were
made public this afternoon, one having
been written before the murder of Mrs.
Rising and the other Just previous to the
taking of his own life. In the latter he
says: 'Letall people know | have shot Mrs.
Eta Rising, the person | love better than
myself, and for the purpose OF having Der
not deceive any one else rs she has me
Oh, what a deceitful person she is! She
has not got any more than be deserves. |
an ready to die for it. She | mean Eta
RISING has played the double game on me
long enough. She has torn my very heart
strings. | told her | would be sorry to do
this, but she has ruined me, and may God
have mercy for the steps | have taken" A
third letter, written November ., shows
that the crime has been hrooded over for
several weeks.